Germany has opened its first-ever section of "eHighway,"
which allows hybrid cargo trucks to charge their batteries while
they are on the move.

On Tuesday, the German government introduced the technology on a
6-mile-long stretch of Autobahn near the city of Frankfurt. It
uses 670-volt direct-current overhead cables that
let electric trucks draw power and recharge their batteries on
the go.

When they're connected, they run on electricity alone. When they
rejoin the normal highway, they switch back to their hybrid
engines.

Siemens, which makes the eHighways, published this graphic.Siemens

Siemens said the technology would save a 40-ton truck 20,000
euros ($22,000) in fuel costs over 62,100 miles.

It also said that if a driver swerved to the left or right while
connected to the cables, it would not detach.

The 6-mile stretch of the A5 Autobahn will be tested until 2022,
after which a decision will be made on whether or not to expand
the project, which has so far cost the government a total of 14
million euros.

Germany also spent 70 million euros ($77 million) to make a
special hybrid truck with Scania and Volkswagen for the track.

This video from Siemens shows how the project is intended to
connect sea ports with cities using the trucks and the eHighway.

Germany's transportation ministry recently published a study
saying 80% of Germany's truck traffic could soon become
electrified,
according to Deutsche Welle .